Zambia
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British]
South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK
in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred
development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon
independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices,
economic mismanagement and a prolonged drought hurt the economy.
Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent
vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election
in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties
filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party
candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an
election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his abrupt death in
August 2008, he was succeeded by his Vice President Rupiah BANDA,
who subsequently won a special presidential by-election in October
2008. Michael SATA was elected President in September 2011.
Source
Location
Located in the Southern Africa Sub-region, Zambia is a landlocked
country covering an area of 752,614 km2. It is bordered by Tanzania
(in the North), Malawi (in the East), Mozambique (in the South-East),
Zimbabwe (in the South) Botswana and Namibia (in the South-West),
Angola (in the West) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (in
the North-West).
Climate
The climate of Zambia is tropical, characterized
by humid subtropical or tropical wet and dry conditions, with
small stretches of semi-arid climate in the south-west and along
the Zambezi valley. There are two main seasons, the rainy season
(November to April) corresponding to summer, and the dry season
(May/June to October/November), corresponding to winter. Average
monthly temperatures remain above 20°C for most of the year.
Population
The central statistics office puts the projected
mid-2010 population figure at 13.3 with a population growth at
2.8 %. About 46% of the population representing an active and
productive workforce, are between 15 and 64 years of age. The
population comprises approximately 72 ethnic groups, most of which
are Bantu-speaking. Zambia also has a small but economically important
Asian population, most of whom are Indians. The predominant and
official national religion is Christianity.
Political System
Zambia is a multi-party democratic country with a distinct separation
of powers between the legislative (parliament), executive (cabinet)
and judiciary (courts of law) organs of Government govern Zambia.
Both the president (who must belong to a registered political
party) and members of parliament are elected by the people. The
president appoints cabinet ministers, from within elected and
nominated members of parliament. The parliament, headed by the
Speaker of the National Assembly, comprises 150 elected members
and up to 8 members nominated by the president. The Supreme Court
is the highest court of appeal and is headed by the Chief Justice.
Economic Review
The country’s economy has historically been based on the copper
mining industry. However the Zambian government is undertaking
economic diversification to reduce the economy's reliance on the
copper industry and exploit other components of Zambia's rich
resource base by promoting agriculture, tourism, gemstone mining,
and hydro-power.
Major Imports and Exports
Major export products are copper and cobalt. Zambia also has a
number of non traditional exports including ores, slag and ash,
sugar and sugar confectionary, dairy products, bird’s eggs, natural
honey, edible products, copper wire and electricity. The non traditional
exports have become of increasing importance to the Zambia economy
as the country strives to diversify from its dependence on copper
and cobalt, increasing by 9.2 percent between 2006 and 2007 and
by 12.2 percent between 2007 and 2008.
The major imports are mineral fuels, oils and product of their
distillation. Other import products include boilers, machinery
and mechanical appliances, parts, electrical machinery, equipment
parts, fertilizers and ores.
Gross Domestic Product
The economy registered a real gross domestic product (GDP) growth
rate of 6.0% in 2008 (up from 5.2% in 2007). The main contributors
to GDP, in 2008, were: agriculture (12.2%), mining (8%), manufacturing
(10 %), and construction (11%). Growth sectors presently being
promoted by the Government comprise the mining, agriculture, manufacturing,
and tourism sectors. These sectors have experienced exponential
growth in recent years, and are expected to continue this trend
in future due to the numerous investment opportunities currently
available in the country.
Zambia President - Michael Sata
President - Zambia
Michael Chilufya Sata (born 1937) is a Zambian politician who
has been the fifth President of Zambia since 23 September 2011.
He leads the Patriotic Front (PF), a major political party in
Zambia. Under President Frederick Chiluba, Sata was a minister
during the 1990s as part of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy
(MMD) government; he went into opposition in 2001, forming the
PF. As an opposition leader, Sata—popularly known as "King
Cobra"—emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender
and rival to President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 presidential
election, but was defeated. Following Mwanawasa's death, Sata
ran again and lost to President Rupiah Banda in 2008.
After ten years in opposition, Sata defeated Banda, the incumbent,
to win the September 2011 presidential election with a plurality
of the vote.
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